Leyla: The Black Tulip

Winter

That winter, it snows. Everyone says it’s unusual for it to snow in İstanbul. Although some of the gardeners still work in the greenhouses and sheltered winter garden courtyard, the others don’t work in the regular harem garden beds.

Leyla is happy for the snow. She knows how good the frozen earth will be for her tulips. She has done some experimentation by heating the bulbs, and then moistening and combining them with others through grafting. Then, she put them away until spring. Leyla has planted the bulbs that the Mistress of the Flowers had instructed. But, she also hid three of her own bulbs with the others.

Although Leyla is still taking other lessons, she now has more free time with the gardens inactive. She misses painting and sketching. She finds herself making small ink sketches without realizing it. Leyla knows it’s forbidden to draw anything that looks like people, animals, or plants. But her father had always repeated that his gift was the work of Allah, so he paints everything. But Leyla knows painting what she wants will be a problem here.

Even though the weather in İstanbul isn’t as cold as the weather back in Leyla’s home village, the acemis still spend a lot of days indoors trying to keep warm. They tell stories and read fortunes. They’re well fed, with pilaf, lamb, and syrupy desserts. They see even fancier dishes passed to the royal ladies in their private apartments, too. But after Ceylan’s death, Leyla doesn’t desire to try these foods.

The royal ladies wear furs to stay warm, but the girls have nothing so grand. They sleep with scarves on their heads to keep warm. If they cough, they are sent to the infirmary where the Mistress of Maladies will take care of them.

Leyla’s education continues, and she gradually progresses. She learns court etiquette and how to speak properly. When the müezzin chants from his minaret five times a day, all of the girls in the palace stop, pull out their prayer rugs, and perform the namaz, bending and unbending as they face west toward the holy city of Mecca. When Leyla prays, she continues to pray for her mother and brothers, and her father, and of course, for little Lena.